Director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali (pic) said it had detected 40 of these false E-Cards since the registration exercise of illegal foreign workers began on Feb 15.

“We have acted against the so-called agents who attempted to issue the false E-Cards. We will act against anyone trying to issue the false cards.

“We have also detained a Bangladeshi national who had eight false E-Cards in his possession,” he said to reporters after joining an operation to flush out illegal immigrants in Kota Kemuning here.

Mustafar said the E-Card issued by the department used a biometric system whereby information on the employer and migrant worker were inserted into the card and it was difficult to falsify.

“The design of the false E-Card may be similar but the Quick Response Code (QR Code) is different. We can differentiate the card from the fingerprints of the employer and worker,” he said.

On the two operations which began at 11pm Tuesday to 3am Wednesday, Mustafar said 156 illegal migrant workers and two employers, all aged between 20 and 45, were arrested in Seri Kembangan and Kota Kemuning.

The workers were from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam, Indonesia and China.

“The Immigration authorities are strict in safeguarding national sovereignty. The primary factor for any failure of the E-Card system is the stubborn attitude of employers in not registering their illegal migrant workers,” he said.

Mustafar said the illegal migrant workers would be deported to their countries.

“They will be kept at the respective state immigration detention depots prior to deportation,” he added.

The E-Card functions as a temporary confirmation of employment for illegal workers, which replaces valid travel documents from their respective countries.

The card is given for free to employees, and is valid until Feb 15, 2018. This allows employers ample time to complete the process of registering their illegal workers.